Public Meeting – Proposed Changes to Vermont’s Use of Public Waters Rules
On behalf of the Vermont DEC’s Lakes and Ponds Program MWA is informing you of an upcoming public meeting to receive public input on proposed changes to Vermont’s Use of Public Waters Rules. On April 15, 2024, a new rule under Vermont’s Use of Public Waters Rules went into effect regulating wakeboats and wakesports on Vermont’s inland lakes. The newly adopted rule limits wakesports with a wakeboat to wakesports zones only. There are 30 inland lakes eligible for wakesports zones. Eight lake associations, representing nine lakes that are eligible for wakesports, have submitted petitions to the Watershed Management Division under the Use of Public Waters Rules requesting to prohibit wakesports on individual lakes.
More information about the wakesports regulation is available here: https://dec.vermont.gov/watershed/lakes-ponds/vermont-use-public-waters-rules/wakeboats
In accordance with the “procedure for evaluating petitions to adopt, amend or repeal surface water and wetland rules,” the Lakes and Ponds program will hold at least one public meeting to foster public participation in the petition process prior to making a determination on whether or not to initiate formal rulemaking. The public meetings will be divided into two meetings to initiate public engagement for multiple petitions. The announcement for these public meetings opens up the public comment period for review of all eight petitions.
WHAT: A public meeting to receive comment on five petitions proposing amendments for lake-specific changes to the Use of Public Waters Rules governing wakesports on Great and Little Averill Lakes, Echo Lake in Charleston, Lake Parker (Glover), Shadow Lake (Glover), and Lake Willoughby.
WHERE: The Gateway Center 84 Fyfe Dr., Newport, VT 05855
OR online via Microsoft Teams, using the link at the meeting time: Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 271 524 703 497
Passcode: jhv7DQ
OR: Dial in by phone
WHEN: December 10, 2024 from4:00pm to 8:00 pm
To submit a comment:
Written and verbal comments will be accepted.
- Please submit written comments to anr.wsmdlakes@vermont.gov . Public comments will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. on December 23rd. IMPORTANT: when submitting a public comment, please include the word “wakesports” in the subject line AND the specific petition (lake) for which you are providing a comment.
- Registration to provide verbal comments at the public meeting will be available here two weeks prior to the meeting
Equal weight is given to comments that are made in person, virtually, or in writing.
Draft Meeting Agenda (Approximate Timing)
Meeting outline: 10-minute DEC intro followed by a 10-minute petitioner overview of their petition and 30-minutes of public comments. Repeat until all petitions have had public comments.
- 4:00: DEC intro to the petition process and meeting purpose
- 4:15: Averill lakes petitioner overview
- 4:25: Averill lakes petition comments
- 5:00: Echo Lake petitioner overview
- 5:10: Echo Lake petition comments
- 5:45: Lake Parker petitioner overview
- 5:55: Lake Parker petition comments
- 6:30: Shadow Lake petitioner overview
- 6:40: Shadow Lake petition comments
- 7:15: Lake Willoughby petitioner overview
- 7:25: Lake Willoughby petition comments
- 8:00 Wrap-up
Copies of the petitions, along with any updates and pertinent information will be available at the following link: https://dec.vermont.gov/watershed/lakes-ponds/lakes-and-ponds-rulemaking
Thank you for your input and participation.
If you have specific questions about the meeting, please reach back out at this email address: anr.wsmdLakes@vermont.gov
Meeting 2:
WHAT: Public Meeting to receive comment on three petitions proposing amendments for lake-specific changes to the Use of Public Waters Rules governing wakesports on Waterbury Reservoir, Lake Fairlee, and Caspian Lake.
WHERE: National Life Dewey Conference Room, 3 National Life Dr., Montpelier, VT, 05620 (in person)
OR online via Microsoft Teams, using the link at the meeting time: Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 268 492 569 354 Passcode: EExYY3
OR: Dial in by phone
WHEN: December 12, 2024 from4:30pm to 7:00pm
To submit a comment:
Written and verbal comments will be accepted.
- Please submit written comments to anr.wsmdlakes@vermont.gov . Public comments will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. on December 23rd. IMPORTANT: when submitting a public comment, please include the word “wakesports” in the subject line AND the specific petition (lake) for which you are providing a comment.
- Registration to provide verbal comments at the public meeting will be available here two weeks prior to the meeting
Equal weight is given to comments that are made in person, virtually, or in writing.
